Partners in Child Development is delighted to announce that our Early Intervention Services program has been awarded a grant from the Flutie Foundation. Thanks to the Allison Keller Technology Grant, our Early Intervention (EI) teams will have access to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. These devices will be integrated into our services that support children and their families. Concerns with developing communications skills are one of the most common reasons that a family reaches out to our Early Intervention Services program. This includes a child’s ability to express their thoughts, needs, and feelings (expressive language skills) and a child’s ability to understand language (receptive language skills).
At Early Intervention Services, we work with infants and young children up to three years old to address concerns with both expressive and receptive communication. Having an AAC tool will enable our EI specialists to incorporate strategies and ideas during EI sessions with a child and their family to assist with communication development. This enables families to experience how the AAC tool can be incorporated into their daily routines and gives families the opportunity to explore whether an AAC device may support their child’s development.
“We are so grateful to the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism and the Keller Family for this meaningful support,” shared Cheryl Bruk, Division Director of the Partners in Child Development Early Intervention Program. ”We are honored to be among this year’s recipients,” she continued, “and deeply appreciate the Foundation’s ongoing investment in children, families, and the autism community.”
Frustration at not being able to communicate is a common experience among many young children with autism. Offering visual communication through AAC apps can reduce that frustration and create ways for family and child to more effectively communicate and understand each other.
Visual communication enables children with autism to engage with and/or at the same level as their peers. All of these factors increase independence and emotional regulation among toddlers.
Receiving this grant provides our EI specialists with another important tool as we offer services and support to infants and children up to age three who demonstrate developmental delays or risk of delays. It is not uncommon for children to be tested for autism after age three, so we frequently help families with concerns regarding communication skills or sensory regulation in the absence of an autism diagnosis.
Read another article of how our EI program works with young children with autism. Since 2012, the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism has granted over $900,000 to schools and organizations for programs serving individuals with autism to assist with or create technology programs.
The Allison Keller Education Technology Program was created in honor of Allison, the daughter of Flutie Foundation Board Member Kevin Lane Keller. Ali is one of many people with autism who has made great gains in communication with the use of an iPad. These grants, named for her, help fill the financial and technological gap for schools and 501(c) 3 organizations that assist individuals with autism.
Learn more about Partners in Child Development and our Early Intervention Services.
